Layoffs and Orphaned NHIs: The Hidden Cybersecurity Threat

Read full article here: https://entro.security/blog/layoffs-and-leftovers-when-nhis-outlive-their-owners/?source=nhimg

Mass layoffs, mergers, and workforce shifts create an often-overlooked cybersecurity threat: non-human identities (NHIs) that outlive their human owners. While employees may exit, the API keys, service accounts, automation tokens, and hardcoded secrets they created often remain embedded in systems — becoming orphaned NHIs that attackers can exploit.

These identities persist across code, infrastructure, and workflows, yet they rarely undergo proper offboarding. Mergers and acquisitions amplify this risk, bringing in thousands of unmanaged NHIs from the acquired company — most of which lack context, ownership, and oversight.

According to Entro Labs, 1 in every 1,000 NHIs is over 10 years old, while the average employee tenure is less than 4 years. This disconnect leaves enterprises with lingering, high-risk credentials that silently expand the attack surface.

To mitigate this threat, organizations must:

• Gain complete visibility into all NHIs across cloud, code, and collaboration platforms

• Identify the secrets these NHIs hold and the systems they access

• Attribute ownership or flag orphaned identities for remediation

• Continuously monitor for idle, over-privileged, or risky NHIs

Entro helps enterprises automate NHI discovery, map their lineage, and assign real-time ownership, even when creators are gone. Whether facing mass layoffs or M&A transitions, Entro ensures NHIs are never left behind as hidden vulnerabilities, keeping your security posture resilient amid organizational change.